Let's be honest: when we saw the first trailer for Bridesmaids, who among us didn't think it looked like a dismal rehash of The Hangover (only this one, of course, features a "ratpack" of women)? Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered that Bridesmaids is better than The Hangover. I have yet to see The Hangover Part 2, so I can't comment on any similarities/differences that might or might not exist. But one thing is for sure: Kristen Wiig has proved her worth as a female lead with a serious amount of comedic clout.
The story isn't revolutionary: one of two best friends is getting married, and everything involved with said nuptials is threatening to tear their lifelong friendship apart. At the center of this battle is Helen, a newly acquired "friend"—via the merging of two exclusive social circles—who begins taking over the wedding plans for Lillian (Rudolph). Annie (Wiig) makes it her mission to take out this she-devil, and what follows is the setup for one of the more memorable meltdowns (among a plethora of other things) to come along in quite some time. Bridesmaids is also peppered with the sort of humor that made movies like Superbad and Knocked Up so funny—it's observant and kitschy in that it rightly jabs several other films that have braved similar issues. In fact, the previously mentioned Hangover is, in at least a very minute way, one of these movies. In what initially appears to be a sad "bow" to The Hangover as king of the pre-wedding funnies, the girls decide to go to Vegas for Lillian's bachelorette party. This ends up being a perfectly welcome curve ball, though, as screenwriters Wiig and Mumolo brilliantly utilize the length of the plane trip to said destination to further flesh out their characters and create an impressively humorous string of in-flight mishaps.
There are a number of other contributors who make Bridesmaids work extraordinarily well, but, as is the case with any solid piece of cinema, it's best if you set aside some time to take in the whole thing in one fell swoop and let it unravel of its own volition. Sure, it's extraordinarily raunchy from time to time, but the nuanced, perfectly- timed moments of comedic genius make it a very worthwhile trip.
